MACHESNEY PARK — It’s been a long road to the top for Hononegah, but the NIC-10’s five-time defending softball champion is finally there.

The Indians outslugged Harlem 9-6 Monday to take sole possession of first place for the first time all season.

Hononegah (15-5, 9-1) had fought an uphill battle ever since losing to Harlem (10-3, 8-2) in the conference opener. They also trailed 1-0 through the first three innings Monday, had a big rally halted by a technicality and saw Harlem score a run on a “double” that was at least five feet foul.

Harlem’s all-conference pitcher Olivia Fluehr allowed only one base runner in the first three innings. but seven of the first eight Indians reached in the fourth inning. Cofoid and DH Lauren Jones both had two hits in the six-run inning, but Jones’ second hit turned into an out because Hononegah coach Kurt Head replaced her with the flex player as a pinch runner after the first hit. He told the umpire that Jones would come back to hit, but found out afterward he had to say it either between innings or when she batted next. That two-run single became the Indians’ final out when Harlem coach Jen Corwin appealed.

“I was worried that my two runs would cost us,” Head said.

Harlem, which banged out 11 hits, made it close, but Hononegah tacked on two more runs in the sixth with an RBI single by Chloe Howerth and Cofoid’s RBI triple. Hononegah had 10 hits in the last four innings.

“Both teams came out to hit, but they definitely hit the ball hard, that’s for sure,” Corwin said.

“We all just connected,” Cofoid said. “They played us really well and stayed in it with us, but we kept coming back, run after run. We have been waiting for that all season. We just kept stringing the hits together.”